When the conductor announced the arrival of the stage, she pulled herself in spite of it all, thus ending their mutual excitation. Alighting from the bus dreamily, she sensed that he too got down behind her. As she walked towards the sweetmeat shop, she noticed he was following her. It was then that she realized the import of her impulsiveness and blamed herself for her indiscretion. Nevertheless, as he kept pace with her, she came to be worried about his intentions, and after picking up some bandar laddus, as she hurriedly hired an auto, she heard him hailing another. Feeling nervous and fearing that she might have got herself into a mess, when she got down at the dead end of that side lane in Domalaguda, she saw him staring at her from the thoroughfare. Then, alarmed at his persistence, she ran up to Roopa’s penthouse.
When Roopa opened the door, Sandhya swooned into her embrace.
‘Oh dear,’ Roopa kept repeating amidst a shower of kisses, ‘what a windfall!’
‘Close the door,’ said Sandhya gasping for breath.
‘Where’s the luggage?’ enquired Roopa, lugging at Sandhya, as she tried to move towards the door.
‘I’ll tell you,’ Sandhya persisted. ‘But first close the door.’
With the door closed behind them, Sandhya opened her mind to her friend.
‘I just can’t believe,’ Sandhya concluded in confusion, ‘how did I let all that happen?
‘Why, I’ll tell you,’ said Roopa in jest. ‘It’s the malady of the maidenhood, and I know the medicine for its remedy. Shall I post the prescription to your father?’
‘I am scared to death,’ said Sandhya in mock anger, ‘and you are joking.’
‘Let me see,’ said Roopa, herself turning curious, ‘if your Prince Charming is still there.’
‘Find out at your own peril,’ said Sandhya having recovered her wits by then. ‘If he sees you, I’m sure he would shift his glare and get glued to your gate.’
Nevertheless, Roopa peeped out of the window and found someone at beat near the gate.
‘Is he the one?’ Roopa asked Sandhya.
‘Yes,’ said Sandhya peeping out from over Roopa’s shoulder.
‘Oh,’ Roopa half raised her hand in zest, and teased, ‘he’s quite handsome. No wonder you lost yourself. I think you should call him in and give your dad’s address.’
‘Why,’ Sandhya said in jest, holding her hand impulsively, ‘do you want to make it worse for me?’
As though to stimulate her friend further, Roopa led Sandhya into the kitchen for coffee, and putting all that behind, the mates focused themselves on the endearments of their meeting. When they returned into the hall, Sandhya peeped through the window and exclaimed, ‘He’s still there!’